Software Pioneer John McAfee Arrested in Guatemala

U.S. anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee walks with his girlfriend next to the Supreme Court in Guatemala City on Dec. 4, 2012. (Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images)

John McAfee, the founder of the anti-virus software bearing his name, was arrested late Wednesday in Guatemala after evading law enforcement in Belize.

McAfee was wanted for questioning about the murder of his neighbor. While he was on the run from authorities, he gave numerous interviews with the media and even blogged about it.

On McAfee’s personal blog, filmmaker Chad Essley posted that McAfee told him Guatemalan authorities are treating him “like a king.”

“He has already made several friends in jail. He has signed autographs for everyone as well,” Essley wrote. “John says not to worry, everyone.”

In a later posting Thursday, McAfee said that while in Guatemala, “my experience on the inside of this establishment has worn away a bit of my natural cynicism and added a measure of hope for humanity.” He also said that his girlfriend, Sam, was in the care of his attorney and several “Israeli bodyguards” who are “serious looking fellows with plenty of body mass.”

While in Guatemala City, McAfee was arrested for entering the country illegally, but he said that he wanted to seek asylum there, reported The Associated Press. Interpol agents detained him at a hotel in the city and took him to a building used to house illegal migrants.

McAfee told the news agency that he fears for his safety because he has information about official corruption in Belize. He said he also refused to donate to politicians.

“Yes, we are presenting this, and I want it to be clear, because of the persecution, not because of the murder,” the anti-virus founder told AP, as to why he was requesting asylum.

Guatemalan Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla said his office is “awaiting instructions from the Foreign Ministry. It will be the foreign relations department that decides the process,” according to AP.

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Belize authorities have said he is only wanted as a person of interest in the death of neighbor Gregory Viant Faull, who was found shot to death in early November on his island home. They have denied charges that McAfee is in any danger, adding that there was no warrant for his arrest.

While on the run, McAfee drew worldwide attention by repeatedly blogging about his experiences and even gave an interview to Vice magazine. He said that he wore disguises to evade police capture and claimed he dug himself into the sand near his home to hide from police who were searching his home.